Nigeria Leads Africa Health Security Sovereignty Initiative

Nigeria, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, has called for a continental shift towards health security sovereignty in Africa. This initiative, in collaboration with the International===Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, aims to move the continent from reliance on foreign aid to self-sufficient, homegrown health systems. The call was made during the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nigeria has committed over $2.2 billion through initiatives like the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, focusing on renovating healthcare centers, training health workers, expanding health insurance, boosting local pharmaceutical manufacturing, and strengthening regulatory oversight. Ministers of Health from Senegal, Malawi, and Ethiopia, along with representatives from AUC, GAVI, and UNICEF, expressed support for the program, emphasizing the need for increased domestic financing and the deployment of two million community health workers by 2030.